Device for automatically varying the operating speed in packaging machines for cigarettes

ABSTRACT

Disclosed herein is a device for automatically varying the operating speed of a cigarette packaging machine in response to the presence or absence of defective groups of cigarettes to be packaged. The device includes a sensing member for sensing the number of cigarettes in a group, and for sensing the amount of tobacco in each cigarette. Control means are provided to maintain the operating speed of the machine at a high rate until a defective group of cigarettes is sensed by the sensing member, whereupon the operating speed is decreased to prevent malfunctions which may otherwise result from operational changes due to the detection of such defective groups. The control means operates to again speed up the machine after a predetermined duration of sensing by the sensing member during which no defective groups of cigarettes are detected.

United States atent [191 Seragnoli [451 Mar. 27, 1973 [75] Inventor: Ariosto Seragnoli, Bologna, Italy [73] Assignee: G. D. Societa In Accomandita Semplice Di Enzo Seragnoli E Ariostu Seragnoli Via Pomponia, Bologna, Italy [22] Filed: Aug. 19, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 173,120

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data UNITED STATES PATENTS 10/1967 Anderson ..53/54 3,590,550 7/1971 Gianese ..53/54 Primary Examiner-Travis S. McGehee Attorney-Robert E. Burns et al.

[ ABSTRACT Disclosed herein is a device for automatically varying the operating speed of a cigarette packaging machine in response to the presence or absence of defective groups of cigarettes to be packaged. The device includes a sensing member for sensing the number of cigarettes in a group, and for sensing the amount of tobacco in each cigarette. Control means are provided to maintain the operating speed of the machine at a high rate until a defective group of cigarettes is sensed by the sensing member, whereupon the operating speed is decreased to prevent malfunctions which may otherwise result from operational changes due to the detection of such defective groups. The control means operates to again speed up the machine after a predetermined duration of sensing by the sensing member during which no defective groups of cigarettes are detected.

3 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTEDHARZYIQYS 3 7 SHEET 3 [IF 3 DEVICE FOR AUTOMATICALLY VARYING THE OPERATING SPEED IN PACKAGING MACHINES FOR CIGARETTES BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to cigarette packaging machines and more particularly to a device for automatically vary the operating speed in high speed cigarette packaging machines which have an output in the order of about 400 packets or packages per minute, such output being substantially higher than that of machines conventionally used in this art.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART In such high speed machines, as for example the machine disclosed in the US. Pat. application No. 721,525to the same applicant, the cigarettes are first assembled in overlying multi-layered groups, each group having a number of cigarettes corresponding to the desired number to be wrapped in a single packet. The cigarette groups are then checked to ensure the presence of the proper number of cigarettes and to ensure that each cigarette has a predetermined minimum amount of tobacco therein. Finally, the cigarette groups are wrapped by a multi-sheet wrapping, that is, by a first or inner tin foil wrapping, a second or outer paper material wrapping forming the label, and a seal, small stamp or label. When defective cigarettes are detected and excluded during the checking step, certain delays are caused which interfere with the subsequent steps of said wrapping process, thereby causing operative lacks of balance in the machine such as those due to the phase-difference of the wrapping sheets relative to the movement of the cigarette group to be wrapped. Such differences may be a result of the pre-selective abrupt stop in the feeding of one or more of the wrapping materials related to the defective group(s), and the subsequently restored feeding movements at the high operating speed of the machine.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to obviate the above-mentioned disadvantages by providing a device capable of operating a packaging machine of the above type at two different speeds in accordance with the results of the check carried out on the cigarette groups to be wrapped. The higher rate of speed corresponds to the running speed, also referred to as second speed, which can be reached when no defective cigarette groups are found over a determined time interval wherein the machine operates at afirst speed which is lower than said running speed, at the beginning and renewal of the output cycle and when finding defective cigarette groups to be excluded from the machine.

These and still other objects are all attained by the device according to the present invention for automatically varying the operating speed of the high speed cigarette packaging machine which comprises an electric drive motor operable at different speeds, means for forming cigarette groups in a side-by-side arrangement of overlying multi-layers, sensing means for checking said cigarette groups in connection with the number of cigarettes in each group and the filling grade for each cigarette, devices for feeding the wrapping materials to wrap us said cigarette groups in multi-sheet casings,

means controlled by said sensing means for inhibiting said feeding means, upon detection of defective groups of cigarettes, and ejecting means for ejecting from the production line those cigarettes groups which are determined to be defective by the analysis of saidsensing means. The device is further characterized by comprising a plurality of first electroswitching means for controlling the electric drive motor to operate at the higher and lower speeds, second electroswitching means for controlling the first electroswitching means, and a timing device for controlling the second electroswitching means, wherein the timing device controls the first electroswitching means to operate the electric drive motor at the lowest of first speed; and, the second electroswitching means, having contacts in series with contacts of a pair of third electroswitching means located in the feed network and in turn respectively connected to the sensing means and manually controlled switches, controls the first electroswitching means to operate the drive motor at the higher speed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Further features and advantages of the device according to the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof, diagrammatically shown by way of example in the appended drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective assembly view of the cigarette packaging machine showing the relative positions for some of its components and excluding those components which are located at the end section of the packaging line;

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the sensing means for checking the presence of cigarettes and the physical quality thereof;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view according to the direction of arrow A in FIG. 2, showing the same sensing means for checking the presence of cigarettes and the quality thereof; and,

FIG. 4 is an electric diagram for the operation of the present device.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the above figures, it will be seen that at A in FIG. 1 an assembly is shown for a cigarette packaging machine of the character as described in said US. Pat. application No. 721,525 to the same applicant and wherein at l the loading hopper is shown as mounted on a machine frame 2 which feeds overlying layers of juxtaposed cigarettes into the chambers 3 of an endless conveyor 4 which moves forward intermittently.

In the successive chambers 3 of said conveyor'4 the cigarettes are maintained in overlying layers by pushers which are successively arranged to slide on the base plate of the loading hopper 1 to form groups having the desired amount of cigarettes as shown for example in the U5. Pats. Nos. 3,435,940 and 3,520,394 to the same applicant.

Along the path of said conveyor 4 and on either side thereof groups of sensing means 5 and 6, respectively, are arranged, these sensing means being suitable to detect, in these groups of cigarettes, both the lack of one or more cigarettes and an insufficient tobacco filling therein (see FIGS. 2 and 3).

Sensing pins 7, making up these sensing means, are mounted on supports 5a and 6a reciprocated by shafts 8 and 9 and are so arranged as to face the two ends of each cigarette in the group being sense. Thus, by means of the shafts 8 and 9, the sensing means 5 and 6 are shifted away from the conveyor 4 until a group of cigarettes is disposed therebetween, whereupon the devices 6 and 7 are moved toward each other. The pins 7 are retained in position by readily compressible springs and the pins probe the ends of each cigarette during the forward movement thereof to give a signal upon detection of any absence of one or more cigarettes or an insufficiency of tobacco in any one cigarette. That is, such faults will result in a free excursion of at least one sensing pin which, through electric contacts and a circuit of a known type (not shown), will cause under these circumstances the coupling of a signal to a control mechanism for the feeding devices of the wrapping materials and to a discharge device for ejecting said defective group, as disclosed for example, in said US. Pat. No. 3,5 30,394. In brief, a piston rod 4a movable through the opening indicated at 4b in the conveyor, and operable in response to the sensing means 5 and 6, will suffice as the discharge device; and, the dispensing operation of the feeding devices of wrapping materials is inhibited by any well known device operably coupled to sensing means.

When the cigarette groups reach the end of conveyor 4, said groups are transferred to the actual packing up line 10 which also receives the wrapping materials from the bobbin rollers 11 and 12 and the device 13, as discussed in great detail in applicants applicants Pat. No. 3,495,820.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of an electrical diagram for controlling the above described high speed packaging machine in accordance with the principle of the present invention, and shows at M an electric motor, such as that designated M132S4/6 CV 4/2,? manufactured by FIMET, having dual sets of input leads for alternate connections to a potential source to operate the motor according to two different speed rates of the packing machine; two relays or telebreakers TL' and TL for controlling said electric motor; three telebreakers R R R a timing-switch element T characterized by a suitable capacitor C, for controlling said telebreakers TL, and TL and a pair of push buttons P and P wherein P is the starting pushbutton of the machine and P the stop pushbutton.

A switch contact T associated with the sensing pins 7, closes whenever one of the sensing pins 7 detects the absence of a cigarette in a group, or the unacceptable fill-level of a cigarette, while at C there is shown a cyclic cam which at each machine cycle of the reciprocable shafts 8 and 9 closes and re-opens the contact T which is series-connected with the contact T As indicated in FIG. 4, the series connected switches T and T are also coupled to conductors l4 and 15, which are in turn connected to the control mechanisms for the feeding devices and the discharge device (not shown) for operating those devices as described above.

Finally, TF is a transformer which is connected to the supply current line for the electric motor M and in turn provides a potential source for the telebreakers and timer.

Electrically operated switches as for example telebreakers TL, and m for controlling the electric motor M respectively have four movable contacts TL,- 1, TI -2, TL -3 and TL -4 for engaging the associated fixed contacts TL -5, TL -6 and TL -7 and TL -8, and three movable contacts TL -1. TL -2, and TL -3 for engaging the associated fixed contacts TL -4, TL -5 and TLq-6.

Each of the telebreakers R and R have two pairs of movable contacts R 1, R -2, and R -1, R -2, and respectively two pairs of fixed contacts R -3, R,-4 and 12 -3, R 4, while the telebreaker R has two pairs of movable contacts R -2, of which R -l is intended to operate on two fixed contacts, that is R-3 and R 4, whereas R -2 has only one fixed contact R -5.

Timer T,, which has a deenergizing time constant as determined by the capacitance of capacitor C, is normally energized and has a movable contact T -l and a fixed contact T,-2 which are disengaged while the device T is energized.

The operation of the packing up machine embodying the speed varying device according to the present invention is as follows:

At the beginning, the starting pushbutton P is depressed, thereby energizing the telebreaker R so that the movable contacts R -l and R -2 close on the fixed contacts R -3 and R 4, respectively. The telebreaker R is kept selfenergized through its selfenergizing circuit closed by contact R -2 on R -4, while upon the closure of contact R -l on R -3 the energizing circuit for telebreaker TL, is connected through the movable contact R -l closed on the fixed contact R 3 of the de-energized telebreaker R and the movable contact Rg-l closed on the fixed contact R -3 of telebreaker R which is also de-energized.

Upon its energization, the telebreaker TL, closes the movable contacts TL -1, TL -2 and TL -3 respectively on the fixed contacts TL -5, TL -6 and TL -7; and a supply current is applied to the bipolar motor M through these contacts so that the motor approaches its lowest or first speed.

As telebreaker TL; is energized, its contact TL -4 is also opened, thereby causing the de-energization of the timing switch T after a delay determined by the characteristics of capacitor C.

The closure of the movable contact T -l on the fixed contact T, the following such a delay causes the energization of telebreaker R and the ensuing closure of its movable contacts R -l'and R -2 respectively, on the fixed contacts R -4 and R -5. Upon such movement, said contact R -1 will cause the de-energization of TL; and the energization of TL and thus, with the closure of movable contacts TL -1, TL -2 and TL -3 respectively on the fixed contacts TL -4, TL -5 and TL -6, the motor is switched from the first speed to the second or running speed of the packaging machine.

At the same time, the movable contacts TL l, TL,2, TL -3 and TL -4 of the de-energized telebreaker TL, will be reset to the starting conditions, and the closure of contact TL -4 on TL -8 causes timer T to be energized and its contact T -l to be opened. However, the telebreaker R remains energized through its self-energizing circuit which closes through the movable contact R -2, which upon energization of said telebreaker R is disposed in contact with the fixed contact R -5.

Under normal operating conditions the motor M runs at the second speed and this state is retained until depressing the machine stop pushbutton P which on opening causes the de-energization of the telebreakers R and TL and hence the stopping of motor M; or, alternatively, this operating state will also cease under emergency conditions, that is when the sensing pins 7 of the sensing members 5 and 6 perceive in the chambers 3 of the conveyor 4 the presence of an uncomplete cigarette group or the incorrect filling of one or more cigarettes making up one group. In this case, contact T representative of the sensing members 5 and 6, closes and upon closing of contact T of the cyclic cam C the telebreaker R is energized and thus its contact R -l opens with a resulting interruption of the supply current to the second speed telebreaker TL and a spontaneous slowing down of motor M.

The opening of contact R -2 of telebreaker R will interrupt the self-energizing circuit for telebreaker R with a resulting movement of its movable contact R -l from R -4 to R -3 as a preset condition for first speed operation of motor M.

The first speed operation of the motor M then continues until the simultaneous occurrences of the interruption of the energizing circuit for telebreaker R due to opening of telebreaker T and switch T and the termination of the delay period after power is removed from the time-delay switch T1 by the contacts TL -4 and -8.

The passage from first speed to second speed in accordance with the above conditions will thus occur following the characteristic time interval of timer T as long as no defective groups are detected at the termination of said time interval.

Accordingly, in order that the whole system reach the operating or running speed, it is required that a sequence of non-defective groups of cigarettes be present under the sensing elements for a time interval not less than the characteristic time of the timer.

As found in practice, by this device, the abovementioned disadvantages which occur in packaging machines characterized by a high operating speed are totally overcome, which disadvantages are due to the high accelerations undergone by the feeding elements of the wrapping materials upon reaching the running speed.

What is claimed is:

1. In an improved high speed cigarette packaging machine including means for providing cigarettes in groups in which said cigarettes in each group are disposed in a juxtaposed and overlying multilayered arrangement, sensing means for detecting the completion of each said group of cigarettes and the amount of tobacco within each cigarette, ejecting means for ejecting defective groups of cigarettes from the machine, and means for feeding wrapping paper for use in wrapping up said groups of cigarettes in multi-sheet casings, the improvement comprising means for automatically varying the operating speed of said machine, upon the sensing of a defective group of cigarettes, including electrical motor means for driving the machine at two different speeds; first electroswitching means for coupling between a potential source and said electrical motor means for controlling said motor means to operate at said two different speeds, second electroswitching means connected to said first electroswitching means for controlling the energization thereof, time-delay switch means and third switching means connected to said second electroswitching means for controlling the energization thereof, said first electroswitching means being connected to said time-delay switch means for controlling the energization thereof, and means for actuating said third switching means in response to the sensing of defective groups of cigarettes by said sensing means, wherein said motor means is connected by said first electroswitching means to operate initially at the lowest of said two different speeds, whereupon after a delay period, said time-delay switch means actuates said second electroswitching means to switch said first electroswitching means to operate said motor means at the highest of said two different speeds, and wherein said third switching means actuates said second electroswitching means to switch said first electroswitching means to again operate said motor means at said lowest speed upon the sensing of a defective group of cigarettes by said sensing means.

2. An improved high speed cigarette packaging machine as set forth in claim 1, in which said motor means comprises an electrical motor having two sets of input leads for alternate connection to a potential source to operate the motor at said two different speeds, and in which said first electroswitching means comprises first and second relays each having switching contacts connected respectively to said two sets of motor input leads.

3. In an improved high speed cigarette packaging machine including means for providing cigarettes in groups, said cigarettes in each group being disposed in a juxtaposed and overlying multilayered arrangements, sensing means for detecting the completion of each said group of cigarettes and the amount of tobacco within each cigarette, ejecting means for ejecting defective groups of cigarettes from the machine, and means for feeding wrapping paper for use in wrapping up said groups of cigarettes in multi-sheet casings, the improvement comprising means for automatically varying the operating speed of said machine, upon the sensing of a defective groupvof cigarettes, including electrical motor means for driving the machine at two different speeds; first electroswitching means for coupling between a potential source and said electrical motor means for controlling said motor means to operate at said two different speeds, second electroswitching means connected to said first electroswitching means for controlling the energization thereof to operate said motor at the lowest of said two different speeds for a predetermined period, and for subsequently switching said first electroswitching means to operate said motor means at the highest of said two different speeds, and sensing switch means responsive to the sensing of incomplete groups of cigarettes by said sensing means and connected'to said second electroswitching means to control the energization thereof, wherein said sensing switch means actuates said second electroswitching means to switch said first electroswitching means to again operate said motor means at said lowest speed for said predetermined period upon the sensing of a defective group of cigarettes by said sensing means. 

1. In an improved high speed cigarette packaging machine including means for providing cigarettes in groups in which said cigarettes in each group are disposed in a juxtaposed and overlying multilayered arrangement, sensing means for detecting the completion of each said group of cigarettes and the amount of tobacco within each cigarette, ejecting means for ejecting defective groups of cigarettes from the machine, and means for feeding wrapping paper for use in wrapping up said groups of cigarettes in multi-sheet casings, the improvement comprising means for automatically varying the operating speed of said machine, upon the sensing of a defective group of cigarettes, including electrical motor means for driving the machine at two different speeds; first electroswitching means for coupling between a potential source and said electrical motor means for controlling said motor means to operate at said two different speeds, second electroswitching means connected to said first electroswitching means for controlling the energization thereof, time-delay switch means and third switching means connected to said second electroswitching means for controlling the energization thereof, said first electroswitching means being connected to said time-delay switch means for controlling the energization thereof, and means for actuating said third switching means in response to the sensing of defective groups of cigarettes by said sensing means, wherein said motor means is connected by said first electroswitching means to operate initially at the lowest of said two different speeds, whereupon after a delay period, said time-delay switch means actuates said second electroswitching means to switch said first electroswitching means to operate said motor means at the highest of said two different speeds, and wherein said third switching means actuates said second electroswitching means to switch said first electroswitching means to again operate said motor means at said lowest speed upon the sensing of a defective group of cigarettes by said sensing means.
 2. An improved high speed cigarette packaging machine as set forth in claim 1, in which said motor means comprises an electrical motor having two Sets of input leads for alternate connection to a potential source to operate the motor at said two different speeds, and in which said first electroswitching means comprises first and second relays each having switching contacts connected respectively to said two sets of motor input leads.
 3. In an improved high speed cigarette packaging machine including means for providing cigarettes in groups, said cigarettes in each group being disposed in a juxtaposed and overlying multilayered arrangements, sensing means for detecting the completion of each said group of cigarettes and the amount of tobacco within each cigarette, ejecting means for ejecting defective groups of cigarettes from the machine, and means for feeding wrapping paper for use in wrapping up said groups of cigarettes in multi-sheet casings, the improvement comprising means for automatically varying the operating speed of said machine, upon the sensing of a defective group of cigarettes, including electrical motor means for driving the machine at two different speeds; first electroswitching means for coupling between a potential source and said electrical motor means for controlling said motor means to operate at said two different speeds, second electroswitching means connected to said first electroswitching means for controlling the energization thereof to operate said motor at the lowest of said two different speeds for a predetermined period, and for subsequently switching said first electroswitching means to operate said motor means at the highest of said two different speeds, and sensing switch means responsive to the sensing of incomplete groups of cigarettes by said sensing means and connected to said second electroswitching means to control the energization thereof, wherein said sensing switch means actuates said second electroswitching means to switch said first electroswitching means to again operate said motor means at said lowest speed for said predetermined period upon the sensing of a defective group of cigarettes by said sensing means. 